


Burning Candles

by CaspianTheGeek (DemonicGeek)



Category: Good Omens (TV)
Genre: Aziraphale Loves Crowley (Good Omens), Crowley Loves Aziraphale (Good Omens), First Kiss, Kisses, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Mild Angst, No beta we fall like Crowley, soft ficlet, they're in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:21:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26045680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DemonicGeek/pseuds/CaspianTheGeek
Summary: At some point Aziraphale realizes that Crowley was in the bookshop when it was burning and the story tumbles from Crowley’s mouth as he’s staring at a flickering candle, not able to look at Aziraphale.When he’s done he casts around for something, anything else to talk about. He asks Aziraphale what happened in Heaven. Then kicks himself for bringing it up because surely it must have been bad.Which is why he’s caught off guard at the light tone of Aziraphale’s voice as he recounts telling off the quartermaster.Aziraphale meanwhile was not prepared for Crowley’s attention to shift to focus on him, his eyes shining in a different way as they meet Aziraphale’s.I posted the above on twitter and people wanted a fic. Please have a soft ficlet.
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 196





	Burning Candles

Aziraphale nearly fell into Crowley’s lap as he leaned over to pour the demon another glass of wine. Crowley’s hands shot out, steadying him, and they both froze.

Crowley broke first, slowly lowering his hands. “Careful, angel. Wouldn’t want another fire in here.” He gestured to the candle on the table, his face unreadable.

Aziraphale sat back in the chair, his brain turning around the phrase another fire. It had only been a few days since the failed Apocalypse, neither of them had fully processed what had happened yet. And Aziraphale hadn’t stopped to think about how Crowley had known the bookshop had burned.

Crowley was staring at the lit candle.

“I can put the candle out, if you’d like.” Aziraphale broke the silence.

Crowley leaned back, taking a sip of wine. “S’fine, angel.” But his eyes didn’t leave the candle. 

Aziraphale stared at the demon and the candle for a moment. Crowley hated his eyes, but to Aziraphale they matched the flames dancing before him. Both were beautiful. “Crowley, what happened that day?”

Crowley took another swallow of wine and for a moment Aziraphale thought he was just simply not going to answer. It wouldn’t be the first time, but it was rare. He spoke, his eyes never left the candle.

“I was calling, and you weren’t answering. Got here, fast as I could. Kept trying to tell myself things couldn’t have gotten too bad that quickly. Fire department was here, the whole place was ablaze. I-” He paused and leaned forward, his face inches from the candle. “I couldn’t feel you. So I came in. Had to find you. Everything was on fire, Aziraphale. Everything. All I could think was that there was nothing left I could save, my world was gone. You were gone.”

Aziraphale stared at Crowley. He’d rushed into a burning building, looking for him. It couldn’t have been as easy as he was describing it. If the fire department wasn’t in here looking for him, it had to have been too much, gone too far. The whole thing must have been ablaze. His world. He said his world.

A tear started tracking down Crowley’s cheek. He ignored it. Aziraphale fought the urge to reach out and wipe it away.

“Anyway. They knocked me down with a fire hose, and I nearly stayed right there. Didn’t want to move. Didn’t want anything that was left. Armageddon was coming, you were gone. There wasn’t much point. Then I saw the book. One book that wasn’t aflame. All I could do was save that one, and maybe go mourn in peace. So I took it and went to the bar where you found me.” Crowley puffed and the candle blew out.

The spell was broken and all of a sudden Crowley seemed to realize everything he’d said. He leaned back, smiling. It didn’t reach his eyes. “It’s fine, angel. You’re here. We’re safe.” He glanced about the room seeming desperate to change the subject. “Just a bit of history now. The bookshop is good as new. And you weren’t really gone. What happened to you, anyway?” Crowley cringed as he realized what he’d asked. “No, never-”

Aziraphale hurried to answer. Anything to distract Crowley from how he was feeling, and he hadn’t been through anything horrible. Not really. “No, it’s alright my dear. I was transported Upstairs as you can imagine.” Crowley’s eyes were on Aziraphale now instead of casting about the room. Aziraphale wondered how much he should say. “They were, er. Expecting me to lead my platoon again. Had them waiting for me, actually. The Quartermaster was quite adamant that I was… derelict in my duties.”

Crowley’s eyes narrowed. Aziraphale hurried on. “He said I wasn’t a good angel, and I agreed with him. And I told him I had no intention of fighting in any war.” Aziraphale looked past Crowley’s shoulder, not quite sure he wanted to look at him right now. He’d fought in the first war, of course. Why had he brought this topic up? He’d fought against other demons. Demons just like-

Crowley interrupted his thoughts, his voice was awed. “Angel, you utterly amaze me sometimes, did you know that? You’re the best of the lot, you know.”

Aziraphale’s eyes snapped back to Crowley’s face. Crowley was smiling, his eyes near shining now, staring at Aziraphale. When Crowley opened his mouth again, Aziraphale found himself staring at his lips.

“I wish I’d been there to see you, really. Proud of you for sticking up to them. Glad we don’t have to worry about the repercussions now though, otherwise I’d be terrified.”

“Terrified?” Aziraphale’s mouth was dry.

Crowley hid his mouth behind his wine glass. “Of what they could do to you, angel. How’d… how’d you get back?”

Aziraphale grinned. “Realized that you could possess humans, there was no reason I couldn’t. The Quartermaster thought it’d be impossible you know.” He paused, wondering if he dared say the rest. Then it seemed to almost slip from his lips. “I just needed to get back to you. And you’ve taught me a lot over the years, you know. About finding creative solutions.”

“To me?”

Aziraphale’s stormy eyes stared into Crowley’s molten pools. “Of course. Why else?”

“Thought- thought you’d be trying to save the world is all.” Crowley glanced away again.

“Crowley.” Aziraphale waited for Crowley to look back. To meet his eyes again. The time seemed to last both forever and only a heartbeat. “I thought you knew this, but that seems silly as I’ve never said it. And you deserve to hear it. You are the world. My world, I mean. You have been for a very long time.”

Another tear rolled down Crowley’s cheek. “Angel?”

This time Aziraphale didn’t stop himself. He reached out, gently wiping the tear away. Then he left his hand on Crowley’s cheek. He didn’t pull away. Instead Crowley leaned into his hand, then he turned his head and kissed Aziraphale’s palm.

“Crowley?”

Crowley rested his head back in the palm of Aziraphale’s hand again. He said nothing. Neither moved for the next minute, both seemed to be pausing afraid of moving forward and not wanting to move back.

Aziraphale thought of all the times that Crowley had put his feelings out there. He knew how Crowley felt, really he did. When Aziraphale spoke, his voice came out in a whisper. “I love you. Have loved you, for so long.”

Crowley froze, not even breathing. Then suddenly he spoke. “Can I kiss you?”

“Please.”

Aziraphale forgot how fast Crowley could move when he wanted to. An instant later his knees were on the small table between them, candle rolling away, forgotten. He was cupping Aziraphale’s face in his hands and he was leaning in.

And the only thing Aziraphale could register was that this was what it felt like to kiss Crowley. Warm and soft, and gentle. He could tell Crowley was holding back. Aziraphale parted his lips and let his tongue brush Crowley’s lips lightly.

Crowley pulled back gasping. “Angel. You’re going to discorporate me.”

“Am I going too fast? I can slow down, Crowley. You’ve been so pat-”

Crowley was leaning in again and the kiss this time wasn’t nearly as gentle. Aziraphale finally let his hands reach out, pulling Crowley forward and off the table onto his lap. The chair widened slightly to accommodate the second being, and Aziraphale wasn’t sure whether he had done that or Crowley but then he was distracted because Crowley was still kissing him.

This time when the kiss broke, Crowley didn’t pull back. He just rested his forehead against Aziraphale’s, one hand reaching up to run through Aziraphale’s hair. “You are everything I didn’t know I needed, angel. You don’t see yourself clearly. How much you deserve. I love you. So much.”

Aziraphale spared a quick miracle to be sure all the other candles in the bookshop were out. Then he held onto Crowley as he kissed him again.

**Author's Note:**

> And... back to editing Pirates. That's going to start posting soon, I promise.


End file.
